Custody in New York and the S.T.E.P. Program


stepsDivorce changes everything.   After years or perhaps decades of life together, including making mutual decisions that often include compromise on both sides, both parties are facing a completely different path forward.   When children are involved, these paths are even more complex than they otherwise might be.  Children weigh on every single decision, from where to live, career options, and financial quandaries.

Unprepared

When dealing with a New York child custody lawyer and custody issues, most parents going through divorce quite rightly concentrate on maximizing their access to and quality time spent with their children.

However, many parents, unaccustomed to the role of sole parenting, are uncertain how to proceed.  Perhaps the other parent took on most of the day-to-day duties of raising the children, or their division of parental duties left them with little experience with very specific aspects of raising children.

In New York, the S.T.E.P. program (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) can be very helpful for parents who find themselves wishing kids came with an ‘instruction manual.’  The program lasts for seven weeks, and helps parents understand the psychology and behavior of children, their needs and communication challenges.  The program can help parents thrust into a new role by divorce with:

  • How to talk with their children and be understood – and to understand
  • How to handle stress and other negatives, like tantrums, disobedience, and comparison to the other parent.
  • Time management for parents unaccustomed to being the primary caregiver.
  • Discipline strategies for children who are ‘acting out,’ perhaps in response to the divorce.

There is no shame in being unprepared for your parenting role, but there are resources to help you with the transition.  Just as your children did not come with an instruction manual, neither are you expected to know it all and have all of the answers.  Fortunately, parenting is a learned skill.  Attorney Sabra Sasson is a certified trainer of the S.T.E.P program.  Please contact our office at 646-472-7971 to learn about the next workshop.

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